Russia’s federal budget deficit shrank to RUB607bn ($6.7bn) in the first quarter thanks to high oil prices that pushed up oil and gas revenues by 80%, according to a preliminary estimate of the Ministry of Finance (MinFin).
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on April 8 for Sergey Ivanovich Kudryashov, General Director of Russia’s Zarubezhneft JSC, who is on a working visit to Vietnam to seek cooperation opportunities in oil and gas and energy.
It has now been just over a year since the Federal Government of Iraq imposed an embargo on oil exports from the country’s semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Destroying all financial independence for the region, which is reliant on ongoing independent oil supplies, is one of the tools Baghdad has to erode Erbil’s autonomy.
The latest tactic of blaming international oil companies for the embargo still being in place is just another element.
The tightening sanctions on Russia’s oil exports are raising freight costs for moving Russian crude.
Argus has estimated that shipping a barrel of Russian crude from a port in the Baltic Sea to China has cost around $14.50 since December.
The U.S. levied new sanctions against Russia last month on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in response to the death of opposition politician Alexey Navalny.
SLB, the world’s largest oil services and equipment provider, last year rejected calls from human rights groups to withdraw from Russia as Western rivals exited quickly after the invasion of Ukraine.
Oil prices rose on Monday after three days of declines, driven by tightening supplies amid escalating geopolitical tension in the Middle East and an intensifying Russia-Ukraine conflict.
– Canadian crude will start flowing to China directly (up until now it has only been exported from the US Gulf Coast) as the impending launch of the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline saw the first deals being made.
Russia-Saudi oil cooperation is still going strong as part of the OPEC+ alliance, which will do “whatever necessary” to support the market, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told a conference on Wednesday.
Moscow is nevertheless not in competition with other top oil-producing and exporting nations, the foreign minister says
Kazakhstan aims to boost its oil exports through the trans-Caspian corridor and to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline, despite potential complications with Russian transit approvals.
The country experienced a 10% increase in oil exports in 2023, reaching over 70 million tons, but saw a 10% drop in revenue due to declining oil prices.
Concerns arise over the Caspian Pipeline Consortium as a Turkish terminal refuses oil deliveries to avoid US sanctions, highlighting the geopolitical complexities affecting Kazakhstan’s export strategies.